Kaka - a fallen star (Video)

There’s no doubting that Kaka has not had the best of times since his big money move from Milan to Real Madrid. A first season that was troubled by injuries and lack of form was followed by the arrival of Jose Mourinho as coach, who although a fan of the Brazilian, prefers the likes of Mesut Ozil and now Luka Modric in Kaka’s preferred central attacking midfield role.

Indeed, so far has Kaka’s star fallen that he has almost been forgotten by most football observers. Mention Kaka to people and it’s as if you are talking about a player from the 90s. People forget that Kaka was voted the World Player of the Year as recently as 2007.

The award capped off a stunning year for the Brazilian in which he almost single handedly led Milan’s crusade to win back the Champions League following what Carlo Ancelotti called their “six minutes of madness” against Liverpool in that famous 2005 final.

Kaka scored 18 goals for Milan that season but crucially, 10 came in the Champions League as he led the scoring charts for the competition. The stand-out performance of his season however undoubtedly came at Old Trafford in Milan’s first leg of their Champions League semi final against Manchester United.

The video below highlights a wonderful performance of poise and grace from Kaka, laden with typically gliding runs. His first goal was a superbly executed finish on his weaker foot but his second was something special. Latching onto a long ball, Kaka essentially runs onto his own pass, humiliating two Manchester United defenders by heading between them before cooly finishing past Edwin Van der Sar. The goals got the headlines but it was Kaka’s performance that left everyone in awe.

Despite United eventually coming back to win the game 3-2, Kaka’s two goals essentially killed the tie and allowed his side to comfortably take the second leg 3-0 to progress through the final.

Adam Mazrani

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